Speaking today in Arlington to the usual crowd of military personnel and veterans, President Bush made the following, extremely telling remark:

"'Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now'," he said. 'This is a dangerous illusion, refuted with a simple question: Would the United States and other free nations be more safe or less safe with Zarqawi and bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people and its resources?'"

So now we know why we're fighting: "to control Iraq, its people and its resources."

Something tells me Iraqis would prefer neither of us to control their resources... But since we're engaged in what the President describes as "a war for the 21st century" against a bunch of "premedieval" (Tony Blair's words) religious fanatics who are "living in the 7th century" (US Marine spokesman) and want to create a new "Islamic caliphate" stretching from Spain to Indonesia (Pres. Bush) I guess we have no choice but to stay put in Iraq, on top of all those people and their oil, until the 22nd century, by which time there will be no oil left and we can leave.